Wednesday, July 22, 2009

By now you all know the story: Detroit native and Xavier sophomore guard Jordan Crawford dunks on NBA superstar LeBron James during a pick-up game at the NBA superstar's basketball camp. Nike representatives at the camp subsequently confiscate all video evidence they can get their paranoid hands on in an effort to protect the image of their golden boy. The pathetic cover-up prompts widespread ridicule and scorn aimed at LeBron and Nike.

Now after all the hype and intrigue, video of the dunk heard - but not seen - 'round the world has finally surfaced. As I suspected, the video itself is a disappointment and not that exciting - LeBron doesn't get posterized and is in fact coming over to provide help after a teammate gets burned; not exactly humiliating. In fact, this dunk wouldn't have even been given 2 seconds of attention if not for the ridiculous cover-up. This entire situation proves the old adage that the cover-up is always, without fail, worse than the initial action.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Coldplay is ablaze right now. The British band's most recent studio album, Viva La Vida, sold over 2 million records worldwide (with 720,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the first week, 316,000 on the first day). Not only that, they were commissioned to perform at this year's Grammy's, and are in the midst of a worldwide tour that has received high praise and is drawing huge crowds (not to mention of course the endless TV appearances and magazine coverage they've received).

The rap industry seems to have also picked up on the Coldplay buzz, and I must say, the results have been spectacular. Drake Drizzy had a bonus song on his recent mixtape ("Congratulations") which sampled "Viva La Vida" and was pure fire. And now we get a second Jay-Z/Coldplay collaboration (Jay joined the group in a live performance of "Lost" at the Grammy's). Ohio-born producer and mixtape "composer" Mick Boogie - along with his partner in crime Terry Urban - have taken Coldplay instrumentals and mixed them with verses from hip hop patriarch and legend, Jay-Z.

[I am really enjoying this album. It is a fresh new mixtape which combines two artists who are at the top of their respective genres; they also happen to be two of my favorite artists in music right now. I had my reservations about this album, but I can say confidently that this album met and exceeded my expectations (it scrapes The Gray Album). Hova's verses are well chosen, taken from songs - i.e. "Takeover", "Ignorant Shit", "Heart of the City", "Song Cry" - off two of his best overall albums (The Blueprint and American Gangster). Similarly, the Coldplay songs chosen represent some of their newest and most well-known material, including "Lost!", "Homecoming", "Speed of Sound", and "X & Y".

Unlike previous mixtapes which pair a rapper with an artist from a different genre (The Gray Album, The Black and Blue Album, etc.), the sound quality on this album is very good. Coldplay's soft melodies compliment Hova's smooth flow quite nicely on this mixtape, and the songs do not sound choppy - a testament to Boogie's and Urban's mixing ability, and the seriousness with which they approached this project. Aside from a couple lame tracks, my only criticism is that the album would have been better if it had more verses from Coldplay, rather than strictly instrumentals.

All in all,Viva la Hova is without a doubt one of the best mixtapes of the year. Do not sleep on this album!!]

Well, well, well... The NBA finals are upon us and what do you know? Despite presumptuous advertising campaigns from Vitamin Water and Nike promoting a Kobe/LeBron championship face-off, Bron's overrated Cavaliers were bounced out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic. You may recall a certain blogger (AHEM!) warning against making premature predictions, especially in the midst of two fiercely contested conference finals, but I guess the people over at Nike and V Water didn't hear my warning.

That aside, here is the 2nd to last commercial in the MVPuppets campaign. This one features Lil' Dez - LeBron and Kobe's neighbor's son - an energetic tyke who relentlessly pesters the all-star duo in hilarious fashion ("My bad brotha, allergies!"). Anyone with a younger brother/nephew/cousin will be able to relate.

Monday, June 8, 2009

As part of their summer 2009 collection, New York clothing brand Supreme teams up with American beer company and cultural icon Budweiser. This eye-popping collection has already sparked a lively debate on discussion boards and forums throughout the fashion blogosphere.

Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this collaboration. I'm a fan of Supreme but I don't particularly like such blatant product placement and I think some of the pieces in the collection are downright tacky. On the other hand, there are some clean items (I like the bags and a couple of their shirts) and there is something appealing about this campaign. It almost has a kind of Andy Warhol feel to it - pop-art meeting urban fashion. Regardless, I'm sure all the items in this collection will be copped by NY hipsters immediately.[Click the above link for a look at the entire product line]..

A sick chest brought to you by Kent and London. The possibilities with this are endless. You can categorize your possessions by letter, from A-Z, by brand, by color; pretty much anything you want. It's creative, and the even though the solid oak wood design is simplistic, wood is always sophisticated and clean.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

This is the first single off Jay-Z's upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, slated for release on September 11, 2009. As its title indicates, this track is a response to Auto-Tune (an audio processor which uses a "phase vocodor" to adjust/correct someone's vocal pitch) and it's overuse in the rap game. I'm down with the beat, produced by famed music producer No I.D (Kanye West's mentor), and as per usual, Jay comes hard. Enjoy.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Ceviche, a staple of Latina American cuisine, is an appetizer consisting of raw fish marinated and "cooked" in citrus (generally lime) juice.Ceviche is believed to have originated in Peru with the Incan civilization. It subsequently spread to the surrounding countries in the region, each of which developed their ownunique variation.

When I first tried ceviche I was curious about how the citrus juiced "cooked" the fish. Technically, "cooking" requires heat, so ceviche isn’t actually cooked; at the same time, it's not exactly raw. Both heat and citric acid are agents of a chemical process calleddenaturation. According tochow.com, as denaturation occurs "the heat or citric acid changes the proteins in the fish, unraveling the molecules and altering their chemical and physical properties." Therefore, as the fish used to make ceviche is marinated in the citrus juice, the denaturation process turns its flesh firm and opaque, giving it the appearance of being cooked.

An important thing to keep in mind is that "cooking" food in citric acid does not kill bacteria the way that heat does. So when you make ceviche for your family and friends, remember to always use fresh fish.

Ceviche is pretty much an amazing dish. It's a great appetizer, especially for the summer months when the weather starts to heat up because it is chilled. It has great flavors, is simple to make and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Furthermore, if you make a bowl of ceviche, your guests will be very impressed by your culinary skills, so be prepared to receive compliments (never a bad thing).____________________________________________________________Recipe Serves 6

"Lifted" is the 13th of the 18 short animated films released by Pixar. Since A Bug's Life, the 2nd film collaboration between Disney and Pixar, Pixar has included a short film at the beginning of each feature film (4 were released exclusively on DVD). This particular short was created in 2006 and appeared at the beginning of the theatrical release of Ratatouille. In true Pixar fashion, it's incredibly funny and clever, and was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film at the 2006 Academy Awards.